1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus having a structure that prevents the generation of jams in the process of picking up a printing medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are apparatuses that form an image on a printing medium, such as paper, according to an input image signal, and correspond to a printer, a copier, a fax machine, and a multi-function peripheral combining some or all of these functions.
An image forming apparatus includes a main body forming the external appearance of the image forming apparatus, a print media storage unit to store a plurality of sheets of paper, a developing unit to form a visible image on the paper through a developer, a pickup unit having a pickup roller to pick up the paper of the print media storage unit to supply the paper in the print medial storage unit to the developing unit, a fusing unit to fuse the developer on the paper to the paper, and an exit unit to discharge the paper, on which image formation has been completed, to the outside of the main body.
Light is irradiated onto a photo conductor of the developing unit discharged with a designated electric potential to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photo conductor, and the electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible image by supplying the developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photo conductor. The visible image on the photo conductor is transferred to the sheets of the paper supplied from the print media storage unit by the pickup unit, and the visible image transferred to the sheets of the paper is fused to the sheets of the paper through the fusing unit to complete image formation on the sheets of the paper. After the image formation on the sheets of the paper has been completed, the sheets of the paper are discharged to the outside of the main body through the exit unit.
Paper that is generally used in the image forming apparatus contains some moisture imparted thereto during a paper manufacturing process. When this paper is not used for a long time under the condition that the paper is stored in the print media storage unit, moisture in the paper evaporates and thus causes deformation of the paper, such as curling of both sides of the paper.
If a sheet of the paper, both sides of which are curled up, is picked up by the pickup roller, the central portion of the sheet of the paper picked up by the pickup rollers is supported by the pickup roller and the sheet of the paper is easily picked up, but both sides of the sheet of the paper picked up by the pickup roller are jammed by a guide roller to guide the movement of the paper, thus causing a paper jam.